Iran Adds Blame for Political Woes to Persecution of Christians
Number of arrested Christians nearly doubles in 2025.
February 23, 2026 By Our Middle East Correspondent - Leave a Comment
LONDON (Morning Star News) – As leaders of Iran continue to blame and punish Christians for their alleged part in the regime’s political and military troubles of last year, a new report outlines the persecution that Christians in the Islamic Republic suffered in 2025.
Calling Iran’s “12-day war” of June 13-24 a pivotal moment that “impacted all Iranians but left minorities especially vulnerable to targeting and scapegoating,” advocacy group Article 18’s annual report noted that in less than one month after the ceasefire, agents with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) spread out across at least 19 different cities in the country, arrested more than 50 Christians and accused them of involvement in “anti-security” activities.
In the report, “Scapegoats: Rights Violations Against Christians in Iran,” Article 18 in partnership with Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Middle East Concern reported that MOIS issued a statement labeling Christians “Mossad mercenaries,” a reference to Israel’s intelligence agency, who were “trained abroad” by churches in the United States and Israel and had acted “under the guise of the ‘Zionist’ Christian evangelization movement.”
https://christiannews.net/2026/02/23/iran-adds-blame-for-political-woes-to-persecution-of-christians/
